The present invention relates generally to a method for producing ceramic items utilizing ceramic stereolithography. More specifically, in one form the invention relates to a method for compensating for the anisotropic shrinkage of a ceramic item to produce dimensionally accurate ceramic stereolithography items.
Engineers and scientists are working in the field of stereolithography to develop additional processes for the production of components. In the area of non-ceramic stereolithography the scientific community is mainly concerned with shrinkage associated with the curing of the polymeric material. The types of materials used in non-ceramic stereolithography generally have very small shrink rates associated with post cure processing; such as by ultraviolet lamps.
In the area of ceramic stereolithography, there presently does not appear to be significant developmental activity going on associated with the study of dimensional accuracy of sintered ceramic stereolithography items. An interest in producing dimensionally accurate parts through ceramic stereolithography provided motivation for the development of the present inventions. The present invention satisfies this need and others in a novel and unobvious way.